


hard for me to keep you on the back burner

by delsalami



Series: flatwound strings [1]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Break Up, Canon Era, Coming Out, F/F, Fluff, Getting Together, Love at First Sight, Pining, but like a good break up because katherine is a lesbian and jack is cool about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delsalami/pseuds/delsalami
Summary: When Katherine Plumber finally meets Sarah Jacobs, she is forced to confront truths about herself that she'd preferred not to think about.
Relationships: Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer
Series: flatwound strings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946593
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. side-by-side

**Author's Note:**

> it's probably worth mentioning that I've never seen Newsies (1992) but these ladies are gay!  
> I did way too much research on lighting techniques and gay euphemisms of the 1890s for this and then I didn't really use any of it :) 
> 
> title from Flatwound Strings by Skating Polly

The lodging house was dim; the sun was setting, but it wasn’t yet dark enough to justify lighting the gas lamps. Newsboys were scattered around the room. A few of them sat on their own beds by themselves or in pairs, but most people were in groups of three or more, holding conversations. The ones playing cards or jacks sat in circles on the floor, periodically shouting in glee or anger. Katherine sat beside Jack on his bed, the one nearest the door, with her head resting on his shoulder and her hand in his. She listened as he and Race talked, periodically asking questions when she wanted clarification.

The stairs creaked as they were climbed. A few people, Race, Jack, and Katherine included, turned to see who was coming. No one was expecting anyone; everyone who usually spent the night was already there. 

Davey appeared at the top of the stairs. Jack took a breath to offer what Katherine knew would be a confused but cheerful greeting, but Davey spoke first. 

“Everyone, this is my sister, Sarah.” Sarah stepped into view, and Katherine straightened up. She had figured, unconsciously, that Sarah would be pretty, because she was Davey’s twin, and Davey, she supposed, was handsome. But Sarah was beautiful in a way that made Katherine’s head spin. “Sarah, this is everyone,” Davey introduced. 

The polite newsies sat up a little straighter, and the politest newsies stood, as Sarah looked around the room with a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you guys. David loves you all so much I just had to meet you,” she explained. 

Jack stepped forward, and Katherine let go of his hand. He didn’t seem to notice, though, because he was shaking Sarah’s, saying, “Nice to meet ya, I’m Jack.” 

Sarah chuckled. “Oh, I know who you are. I’ve heard a lot about you especially.” 

Jack stuck his hand into his pocket, and aimed a crooked smile at the Jacobs twins. “All good things, right Davey?” 

Davey just rolled his eyes, but Sarah said, “I think we both know that’s not the case.” She smiled sardonically at him, and sidestepped so that Jack could smack Davey on the arm and Sarah could stand in front of Katherine and introduce herself properly. 

Sarah stuck out her hand for Katherine to shake, and Katherine took it. Sarah’s hands were dry and her grip was firm, and she looked Katherine right in the eyes and it made her heart skip a beat. “You must be Katherine. David has nothing but good things to say about you. It’s good to finally meet you.” 

Katherine realized she was still holding onto Sarah’s hand even though it was past the time to keep shaking it. “Um. Yeah,” Katherine said, because her mind was suddenly fuzzy and she couldn't think of anything else. She clasped her hands behind her back because this dress didn’t have pockets and she needed her hands out of sight, “Nice to meet you.” 

Sarah lingered for a second in front of Katherine, which made Katherine feel like she wasn’t living up to her expectations. But Katherine didn’t know what her expectations were, and she didn’t know what else to say, even though she wanted to say something more just so that Sarah would be in front of her for longer. Instead, she stood there awkwardly, heart beating painfully against her ribcage. 

Soon enough, Sarah moved on to Race, who spit in his hand and held it out smugly, like he thought she wouldn’t take it, but Sarah laughed and spat in her hand too and shook Race’s. Katherine couldn’t help but grin, especially when Sarah glanced back at her. 

Jack then stopped bugging Davey, and returned to Katherine’s side. He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You okay?” he murmured. She nodded, not taking her eyes off Sarah as she moved around the room. 

Jack suggested that Katherine stay at the lodging house for the night, because despite Katherine’s claim that she was fine, he could tell that something was off. Katherine refused, saying that her father would worry, so Jack insisted on walking her home. It was something he would have done anyway. 

She was silent, thinking, as they walked side-by-side, hand-in-hand through the emptying streets of New York. What happened with Sarah… that was something she had experienced before. But not with Jack, not with any boys, despite something inside her telling her that it was _attraction_. She'd always chosen to ignore it, but now it was all she could think about.

“You sure everythin’s all right, Katherine? You’s awful quiet,” Jack said, stopping underneath a streetlight. He leaned against it, studying her face.

“I don’t know, Jack,” Katherine sighed. 

“Somethin’ eatin' you?” 

Katherine hesitated. “How did you feel when you first saw me?” she finally asked. 

The question obviously took Jack by surprise. “How sappy d’ya want me to be?” 

“Just be honest.”

“‘Kay.” Jack took a second to think. “Well, I thought you was real pretty, and even though it made me nervous, I knew I just hadda talk to ya. I couldn’t even think of nothin’ to say, all I could think of was how bad I wanted to talk to ya. Then when you rejected me, it wasn’t just the embarrassment of bein’ rejected in front of the fellas, it was kinda this… mini-devastation ‘cause you didn’t like me. Plus an admiration because your line was clever.” 

Katherine laughed nervously. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way.” Jack shrugged. “But also thanks.” 

“Was that helpful?” Jack asked. “Got the answers you’re lookin’ for?” 

Katherine nodded slowly. “I think so.” She gnawed on her lip. She’d never felt that way about Jack. The admiration, yes, but because he was the leader of a life-changing strike before he was even eighteen. But everything else… that was how she’d felt about _Sarah_. 

“You wanna get goin’, then?” Jack suggested gently. 

“Actually…” Katherine began. Was she really about to do this? Was she really going to end her relationship with this handsome, earnest, clever, artistic, brave— well, all-around perfect guy? Just because she couldn’t stop thinking about his best friend’s sister? 

Of course she was. She had to do it because of the reasons she shouldn't. He was too great a guy to be stuck in a relationship with someone like her. 

“I think we need to end this. Our relationship,” Katherine admitted. She couldn’t look at Jack, so she stared at the cobbled street between their feet instead. 

“What? Was it not romantic enough? Lemme tell you about when we met at the theater, that’s when I really knew you was special—lemme tell it, I’ll knock your socks off,” Jack said. 

“No, no, it’s not what you said, it’s not you, Jack,” Katherine said. She looked back up at him. His eyebrows were knit together. He seemed equal parts confused and upset. “It’s… I didn't feel that way about you.” 

“Well, nah, I was botherin’ ya on the street,” Jack said. “That don’t mean ya don’t like—”

“I felt it toward Sarah Jacobs,” Katherine blurted. She buried her face in her hands. Hopefully there was no one around to hear, because she knew it was the kind of thing that could get you assaulted, or worse.

“Oh.” 

“Yeah, oh.” 

“Okay. I can ask Davey if he knows if Sarah’s that way, too, if ya like.” 

Katherine looked up in shock. “What?” 

“Well, if Sarah likes girls too maybe you two can…” Jack held up his crossed fingers. Then he looked at them and frowned, like he was confused by his own gesture. “I dunno.” 

“No, I’m just—you’re not upset? You don’t think I’m wrong, or disgusting, or…?”

“Nah. Little disappointed, sure, but I’ll get over it. Nothin’ wrong with bein’ that way. Lotsa the fellas are.” 

“Really,” Katherine breathed. She had no idea there were others like her, let alone in her own group of friends. She wasn’t alone, or strange, or wrong. And Jack wasn’t angry at her.

“We should get ya home, huh?” Jack suggested, poking her on the shoulder. 

Katherine nodded, and they started walking again, side-by-side but not hand-in-hand. They headed for Katherine’s house, and as they reached the gate, Jack said, “You’s still gonna come by the lodging house, right? Me and the fellas would miss ya.” 

Katherine smiled. “Of course, Jack. I’ll see you tomorrow.” They waved to each other, and went their separate ways. 


	2. hand-in-hand

Katherine climbed the creaky stairs up to the lodging house. She was later than usual, but the boys were no less loud and rowdy. She reached the top of the stairs, and Jack called out a greeting first, then every other newsie followed suit. And Sarah Jacobs smiled and waved at her. Katherine’s stomach filled with butterflies. 

Everyone expected Katherine to go sit next to Jack, she knew. But there was no real reason to, now, and there was an empty spot next to Sarah on the foot of someone else’s bed, so Katherine took a second to consider her options. 

Before she had consciously decided, she was sitting down next to Sarah. Sarah’s smile was so inviting, and Katherine felt pulled to her like a magnet. Sarah smirked at Katherine and leaned in close. Katherine stiffened. Maybe she had thought about this, and maybe all the newsies were understanding of people like her, but she hadn’t hoped it would happen in front of all of them. But Sarah just whispered, “Lover’s quarrel?” 

Katherine let out a breath, releasing some of the tension she was holding. “I wouldn’t say that,” she whispered back. “He didn’t put up much of a fight when I broke up with him.” 

Sarah leaned away again, eyebrows raised in surprise. “What happened?” 

Katherine didn’t want to look at Sarah as she explained, so she chose to watch Race, Albert, Specs, and Henry playing Scopone. Race captured a card and put it in front of him as Katherine said in a low voice, “I keep thinking about… someone else. So I broke up with him because it was unfair to him, and he was fine with it.” 

Sarah nudged Katherine with her shoulder, grinning playfully. “Is it someone I know?” 

Katherine chuckled nervously. “Yes, I would say so.” Was Sarah trying to flirt? Or was she making friendly conversation? Would Sarah try to set Katherine up with one of the newsboys? That was the last thing she wanted. 

But Sarah let it go, and joined into Jack and Davey’s conversation with a snarky comment, and Katherine caught her breath before making a jibe of her own, and that got everyone involved. Card games and beds were abandoned as everyone jeered blithely at each other. 

“I’m going to walk Katherine home, David. I’ll see you soon, okay?” Sarah called to her brother as he closed the door to the lodging house behind him.

“All right, you both stay safe,” Davey said with a knowing smile. He started toward the Jacobs residence. 

“You don’t have to,” Katherine said as she and Sarah headed in the opposite direction, praying that Sarah would insist upon it. 

“I insist,” Sarah said, “In case anything happens, I’ll be your knight in shining armour. Plus, I’m curious.”

“About what?” 

“You,” Sarah said. “Tell me about yourself.” 

“What do you want to know?” Katherine asked.

So Sarah began asking questions, and Katherine answered, as they walked side-by-side, but unfortunately not hand-in-hand. But their hands kept brushing, and Katherine wondered if it was accidental or purposeful. 

“Who is it that you like?” Sarah finally asked. 

“Oh,” Katherine said. There was a pang in her chest. She couldn’t just say it. What if Sarah resented her for it? Not just because Katherine liked girls, but because she liked Sarah in particular? 

“Here, I’ll guess, and you tell me if I’m right,” Sarah suggested. She thought for a moment. “Race?”

Katherine pretended to retch. Sarah tossed her head back and laughed, and the butterflies in Katherine’s stomach burst into activity again. Sarah’s laugh was like music. 

“Okay, okay. Clearly I need a hint,” Sarah said. 

“I only met them recently,” Katherine said, and hoped the tremble in her voice wasn’t noticeable. If Sarah figured out that Katherine liked her and didn’t feel the same, or worse, thought it was wrong, well… Katherine didn’t know what she’d do. 

Sarah hesitated. “I don’t know who joined the newsies most recently.” Then she almost tripped over a cobblestone, and stopped walking entirely. “Is it David?!” 

Katherine stopped as well. “No! No, it’s definitely not Davey.” If Sarah thought Katherine had a crush on her brother… that would be mortifying and absolutely kill whatever chance Katherine had.

“Well…” Sarah poked Katherine on the arm. “I know you met me pretty recently.” Katherine looked at her, and Sarah looked almost as nervous as Katherine felt. 

“Is that a guess?” Katherine asked softly.

Sarah scanned her face. “Only if it’s right,” she said, equally as quietly. 

“And what happens if it is?”

Sarah took a step closer to Katherine, and glanced around the empty streets. “Well, I would probably do this,” she breathed, and put her hand on Katherine’s jaw, leaning in close. She paused, as if to give Katherine a chance to tell her no, that she had guessed wrong. But Katherine leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Sarah’s lips.

It was quick; they couldn’t be outside in public kissing for too long, lest someone see them. Even so, it was better than any kiss Katherine had ever had before. It felt familiar, like they’d done it a million times, but exciting, like they’d never done it before. 

Sarah pulled away entirely too soon, and they held eye contact for a moment. Her brown eyes were soft and starry, and Katherine wanted to look into them forever. 

Alas, “We should get you home,” Sarah said breathlessly, like they’d been kissing for hours. 

“I guess we should,” Katherine agreed reluctantly. So they walked side-by-side, hand-in-hand, to Katherine’s house. When they got there, Katherine didn’t want to let go. Still, she kissed Sarah once more, and they went their separate ways for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you leave kudos/comments you'll make my entire day, so... pls
> 
> might write a javid sequel we'll see  
> edit: wrote a javid fic


End file.
